Archive for October 3rd, 2008
Davenant:
Whether absolute Reprobation oppose God’s Mercy.
What the Author discourses in general concerning God’s Mercy considered absolutely, comparatively, and in its naturalness, in the amplitude of its object, &c., is to no great purpose, unless upon such antecedents this conclusion will certainly follow, “Therefore Predestination and Reprobation cannot be absolute acts of God’s freewill, but must needs proceed according to his prevision of men’s future acts and deservings. The weakness of these consequents shall in particular be showed hereafter, when I have first set down some general considerations concerning the Mercy or Justice or other virtues in Scripture ascribed unto God.
And first we must know, “That though the names of habitual virtues be attributed unto God, yet it is impossible hat any such habits should truly and really belong unto the Divine will; Quontam habitus non dantur, nisi tanquam supplementa poteniarum earum que intra ordinem potentia non sunt perfectae. Unless therefore we hold God’s power of willing in itself to be imperfect and to want supervenient rectifying habits, we must not avouce with this Author that Justice, Mercy, Holiness, &c., are in God’s will the same in nature which these virtues are in men, and only differing in degree.
Secondly, though in God there be permanent inclination or natural disposition to produce those outward effects which in us proceed from the habitual virtues, as To endow his creatures with many good things, which we term Bounty or Liberality; To help them out of their miseries, which we term Mercy; To punish them according to their misdeserts, which we call Justice, and the like: yet God should not have been covetous or niggardly, had he never diffused drop of his bounty to any creature, but kept and enjoyed his goodness within himself, as he did before the creation: He should not have been cruel or unjust, had he freed no man out of that misery whereunto all mankind was fallen: neither should he have wanted any virtue, or done contrary to his justice, had he freed all men out of their misery, and brought them to eternal felicity. The outward temporal acts therefore of Divine Justice or Mercy may be terminated or not terminated upon any man according to the absolute freewill of the most wise God, and that without opposing any attribute of his. To this purpose Carthusianus, Cum Deus sit bonorum omnium dominator, & in ipsum peccat qui peccat, ipse postest plus conferre de bonis quam sit alicui debitum, & minus inferre de malis, seu totam poenum relaxare, nec in hoc contra sed praeter institutum facere. Vide Halens. part. 1.q.39 art. 4. & 5.